January 2014 Birchbox | My Thoughts & Why I'm Unsubbing |

Hi everyone, today's post includes another video for you which is an unboxing of this month's Birchbox so you can see what products were inside. I will also be voicing my opinion on what I thought of the box overall and also why I am unsubbing from beauty subscription services at the end of the video.

Are you a member of Birchbox or any other beauty subscription service? xxx

The Fragrance Shop | Discovery Club |

Discovery Club Box* // £5 per quarter //

I've always thought the concept of beauty boxes are great and there are so many different types on the market now ranging from high end, teen and even eco boxes. So when I was contacted by the Fragrance Shop to try out their version of a beauty box I jumped at the chance. They have named it the Discovery Club* and included in the 3rd Edition were 6 samples of newly launched fragrances, 2 of which were for men which was great to pass on to Matt, and money off vouchers for each perfume all for just £5 each quarter.

The box is smart and compact and the samples are housed in matching dark blue tissue paper which I thought made it feel more luxurious. I'm rubbish at describing scents myself so will give you a quick low down of the women's perfumes I received, their costs, the key notes which are mentioned and what I thought.

1. Thierry Mugler - Alien Aqua Chic:  Top note of orange blossom, heart of pink grapefruit and lemon tree blossom and base notes of amber and jasmine. I thought this was a lovely light version of the popular original, which lingers for ages and makes it more suitable for day. I really liked the scent of this and have put it on my wish list! £39.50 // 60ml

2. Loewe - Quizas Quizas Quizas Pasion: Inspired by the tango, it is meant to be a fruity and romantic fragrance. Top notes of bergamot and mandarin, hearts of magnolia, freesia and orange flower and base notes of cashmere wood, amber and vetiver make it a complex mix of scents. I was surprised at how light and floral this turned out to be as from the description I thought it would be quite heavy. This smells more grown up and would be lovely to wear on holiday. I really liked this one too which was a nice surprise as I hadn't heard of the brand before. £36.50 // 30ml - £51.50 // 50ml - £71.50 // 100ml

3. Elvis Jesus - Eau de Toilette: Unlike the other samples, this one didn't come with a diffuser, which was quite annoying. It was different to the other samples as it was a bit more earthy with top notes of grapefuit, chery, bergamot and peppermint, heart notes of rose, jasmine and lily of the valley and base notes of cedar, coumarin, amber, vanilla, tonka and leather. It was nice and different but I wouldn't purchase it myself. £38.50 // 50ml - £48.50 // 100ml

4. Mont Blanc - Legend Pour Femme: This sample was fruity and light with top notes of neroli, crunchy pear and bitter orange, heart notes of orange blossom, lily of the valley and Indian jasmine and base notes of musk, vanilla and blond woods. I quite liked this as it was different to something I would normally go for and it isn't too expensive. £28.50 // 30ml - £44.50 // 50ml

I'm normally quite sentimental with perfumes so don't have a huge collection but the samples have been great at introducing me to some new scents I wouldn't normally consider. The Discovery Club is a lovely service which is perfect for those of you who have a passion for perfume and are keen on trying new things. It is great value for money, especially with the inclusion of the vouchers and suitable for both men and women. The 4th Edition has just launched, so will you be testing it out? xxx

NOTD: Color Club | Reign in Spain |

The Wanderlust Collection // 4 mini pack //

As soon as I saw this colour in this month's Birchbox I fell in love. A mix of peach and coral with a neon/pastel finish make this perfect for summer and a bit different to the typical neons you get around this time of year. I've been obsessed with all things peach and coral at the moment, so this varnish will go really well with some new pieces I have recently bought for my wardrobe. This colour is so nice that a stranger on the tube asked me to write down the name of it for her - if you've ever been to London you will know people barely even look at each other on the tube so this is a massive credit to the polish! The pictures unfortunately don't do the colour justice, I think the best representation is the bottom one from my instagram.

'Reign in Spain' is part of another collaboration between Birchbox and Color Club (see this NOTD for the other) named the Wanderlust collection, consisting of 4 special summer shades in mini bottles. The formula is just as good as Insta-This - only 2 layers of colour needed for an opaque finish, tip wear by about day 3 and no major chips to be seen at all. 

The only pain is that to get one of these polishes on the Birchbox site you have to get the whole set - and considering I got two in my Birchbox I don't really want two duplicates to get my hands on the other half of the shades (although the green 'London Calling' is literally calling my name!)

What do you think of this colour? What are your favourite summer polishes? xxx

October Joliebox

I don't normally bother doing this type of post as there are always so many every month on the various beauty boxes, but this month's box was too good not to share. At the moment I am just subscribed to Joliebox and am rarely let down by the contents delivered, although if you are thinking of subscribing to a service like this you should manage your expectations as they can be a bit hit and miss.

This month's box was the first after Joliebox had teamed up with American beauty box brand 'Birchbox' (sorry for the alliteration!) and had a 'Pure and Natural' theme which included 2 full size products, with most of the samples being a generous size too. It also comes with a 'JolieMag' which is a lovely addition I enjoy reading every month.  I normally wait a few weeks at least to test the things I get before reviewing them on here but for an overview the box includes:

Jason Bee Healthier Lip Balm Stick: I recently purchased a Burt's Bees lip balm which is a very similar product but I wasn't disappointed as this is full size and I personally don't think you can have enough lip balms! It is 70% organic and contains Aloe and Beeswax to 'moisturise and protect' - great for those who love natural products. It also smells like mint chocolate chip icecream (like Palmer's Dark Chocolate and Peppermint lipbutter that I also have) and tingles your lips, which is a plus point for me!

Lov Organic herbal tea bags in 'Lov is Beautiful' flavour: This is the 'lifestyle' product. I love tea and am always looking for new herbal ones to try as they have greater health benefits than your standard cuppa. Within this pack you get 6 muslin teabags, which I think is pretty generous. The ingredients include white tea, green tea, pieces of mango, pineapple and apricot - it sounds like a delicious combination so I'm excited to try these out.

Moa The Green Balm: The smallest sample in the box, but I have a feeling that a little will go a long way. It is 100% natural and indeed light green! It's smell and texture is very reminiscent of Vicks Vapour Rub and melts into the skin easily. It is described as 'an intense, multi-purpose balm that gives moisture to chapped, dehydrated skin' for all parts of your body and suitable for even sensitive skin.

Revolution Organics Freedom Glow Beauty Balm: I love the cardboard tube it comes in and it is a handy size for travel but still with a generous amount of product. It's described as a 'multi-tasking beauty balm' and is really similar to Nars The Multiple Bronzer. The actual product is a thick stick of instant bronzing balm which you can twist up and down like a lip balm. Again it is 100% natural and can be used anywhere you like, with organic olive, coconut and jojoba oils 'to moisturise and soften'. I'm really looking forward to giving this a go as I've been wanting to try a cream bronzer for a while.

Ritessens Exfoliating Face Care: With this month's box you could either receive the face wash or the exfoliant - I got the latter. This was the product I was most excited about as it is full size (125 ml) and really generous for a beauty box. It claims to purify and refine your skin's texture leaving it clean and radiant by including nautral plant extracts and Moroccan Argan Oil in the formula.

Although this box might not be for everyone, it was just the ticket for me! What do you think of this month's Joliebox? Are you subscribed to any beauty boxes? xxx